The Azzurris held off the German attack for 90 minutes and in the dying minutes of extra time proved why they are so deadly on the counter-attack, with swift strikes by Fabio Grosso and old warhorse Alessandro Del Piero.

The Germans have till date never beaten the Italians in a World Cup match, and their latest defeat comes in a stadium where they had never lost a match themselves. The Germans' record stands smashed, the Italians' intact.